By John Amick
VOX Magazine, Columbia MO
August 2, 2007
Most of us can admit to an embarrassing nickname a parent or idiot friend gave us at a young age. Whether the moniker actually fit was no matter. And hating the name only encouraged further taunts from kindergarten cubby to corporate cubicle. But how many people can say they were nicknamed by a blues guitar legend? Blues and roots rock artist Michelle Malone can. Malone, a veteran of definition-defying blues-rock and soul, shared Atlanta’s historic Royal Peacock stage with blues pioneer Albert King during a 1988 show. King heard Malone’s distinctive voice that night and immediately tagged her “Moanin’” Michelle Malone. Yet the real meaning of “Moanin’” is a mystery to Malone.
“I don’t know if he was saying that because he liked my voice or because I was just complaining,” Malone says. “I don’t know if it was bitching moanin’ or singing moanin.’ I kept it under wraps for a long time, and just some of my friends in Atlanta called me that. Then when I made a bluesier record and kind of felt proud and everything, [the nickname] had to come out to live.”
Bitching or not, Malone will bring her combination sound to Mojo’s on Friday in support of her 2006 release Sugarfoot, her ninth studio solo album. That sound can appeal to just about everybody, says Mojo’s booking agent Peter McDevitt. “She’s a pretty well-accomplished musician,” he says. “She has a good reputation that precedes her in blues circles. She is good enough at blues and Americana where anybody can enjoy it.”
A career road warrior, Malone has played in Columbia several times, but she says her first visit, in the late 1980s, was the most memorable thanks to a certain cherished Columbia landmark.
“On the way there, we passed a sign that said ‘Liquor, Guns and Ammo,’” Malone says. The legendary sign that formerly stood at the old Bass Pro Shop on Business Loop 70 now hangs on the wall of Shakespeare’s Pizza. “All I remember is being stunned and amazed that you could sell those three items all under the same roof, but we had our picture taken in front of it.”
Going her own way...
The music industry’s attempts at pinning a certain style or sound to Malone have been unsuccessful because her interests, tastes and influences seem to change by the album. Once hand-picked by Clive Davis and the Arista record label to be the next diva of soul music, she quickly realized that staying true to her own vision was more important than the promise of easy fame.
“They wanted me to fit a certain format and model me out of other artists,” she says. “I actually tried to conform to what they wanted me to do, and I felt my spirit crushed and felt very lost and confused.” This early career lesson motivated her to stay confident in what she thought was best for herself, no matter how many genres (blues, soul, Americana, country, roots) she dabbled in or was pegged with. “It’s too hard to really compartmentalize my brain and my spirit to fit one particular genre,” she says about her varied musical style. Doing things her own way musically has spilled over to the business end. She owns her own record label, SBS Records. She’s the only artist on the roster.
“I tried [having multiple artists on SBS] for a while, and it didn’t really work out,” she says. “It’s enough just to do it for myself, and people get upset and want to blame someone when their record doesn’t sell, and I’m not really into that scene. I put out one of my mother’s releases. She didn’t give me any lip. I liked that.” Malone and her trademark slide guitar’s stop in Columbia will be the 24th of a 52-date tour that lasts until October. This winter she plans on starting the process all over again as she will begin to work on her next album.
“I don’t want to be Bob Dylan or Joan Baez or Billy Bragg,” she says. “I just want to have fun.”
SUGARFOOT Review - Your Guide To Atlanta
Guide Rating - 4 1/2 stars ( OUT OF 5)
Sugarfoot by Atlanta native Michelle Malone is a rocking and roaring triumph, a pure shot of audio adrenaline. From the fiery opening of "Tighten Up the Springs" that kicks off Sugarfoot, Atlanta native blues-rocker diva "Moanin'" Michelle Malone sets the tone for the entire album. This is sexy, steamy, foot-tapping blues-rock, served up southern-style. While not entirely a deviation from her last album, Stompin' Ground, Sugarfoot is a bit darker, a bit grittier, a bit more raw. Themes of tender heartbreak are mixed in with some good old-fashioned gettin' in trouble bravado.
Malone sounds just as great as ever. She left Atlanta for a two-year hiatus, moving to Boulder and becoming partners in a company called Metro Girl. But she has since returned home, much to the delight of her local fans.
Those Atlantans that keep up with the local music scene know Malone's story quite well- discovered by Arista records mogul Clive Davis, he was determined to turn her into his next pop diva, but Malone rejected that attempt, and left her big-label record deal after recording Relentless as Michelle Malone with Drag the River in 1990. She has been doing her own thing ever since, relying on her own label, SBS Records, or indie labels like Amy Ray's Daemon Records to get her music to the public. Sugarfoot is on the Valley Entertainment label.
"Where is the Love" is an immediately catchy, sing-a-long tune that still maintains an edge to it. Malone can also sing a beautiful ballad, like "Beyond the Mountain" and "Leather Bracelet". She also shows some surprising vocal range, with a particularly beautiful high note to end "Beyond the Mountain." Despite the great foot-tapping melodies, the lyrics don't get lost in the shuffle. Known for her ability to write thoughtful lyrics, Malone once again shines. On "Winter Muscadine", she laments, "What once was sweet grew so sour on the vine/Now it tastes like winter muscadine." On the strong ballad, "Where is the Love," Malone states, "Love is like a stray rebellious bird." And on "Black Motorcycle Boots", she states about a former lover, "You're like my favorite T-shirt with holes."
Crank this up in the car on the way to work and it will pump you up with enough energy to skip Starbucks. The album is an adrenaline rush for the ears.
In between Malone's almost constant touring schedule, you can actually hire her for private house parties. That's right, this phenomenal talent will come to your pad and sing her heart out for you and your guests. Contact her for more details: sbsrecords@aol.com.
Malone is a force to behold live as well. She will be doing a special New Year's Eve show at Eddie's Attic. Talk about rocking in the new year.
-- Joy Johnston SUGARFOOT Review - Nashville City Paper 10/22/2006
Singer/songwriter Michelle Malone embodies and celebrates the Southern musical tradition in her compositions both through her lush, powerful and vibrant delivery and the mix of country, blues, rock and gospel that permeates the arrangements and lyrics in every number. Malone, who plays 3rd and Lindsley tonight with Antigone Rising and Lindsey Hinkle, says there is nothing calculated or planned about the tone and fervor that is evident in every phrase.
"Some might call it confidence or a freedom to be myself, but personally it's just me really expressing myself," Malone laughed. "It seems the older I get and the more I do this, you just hear all the Southern roots and influences coming out. I'm pretty much a child of the 70s, and I love all those sounds. My mother was also a singer and she had a record collection that ran from Billie Holiday and opera to the blues and Led Zeppelin. So my main thing is playing and writing music that has real feeling and emotion, and doesn't sound manufactured or fake."
From the skittering bottleneck guitar solos and wailing blues harmonica line to the wails and cries that come out in such songs as Tighten Up The Strings,Rooster 44and particularly Travelin' and Unravellin', Malone's work has an earthiness and gritty feel that comes naturally. There's also a consistency and professionalism in her approach that reflects a polished performers who spends more than 200 days a year on the road.
"With the exception of one short stint as a waitress that was a total disaster, playing and singing is all I've ever done or wanted to do," Malone said.
-- By Ron Wynn, rwynn@nashvillecitypaper.com
SUGARFOOT Review - Nashville Scene
With its stuttering backbeats, elegant slide guitar and stop-time boogie, Michelle Malone’s new Sugarfoot gives the blues aesthetic a shot in the arm. “Black Motorcycle Boots” sports an irresistible riff, the song itself putting a satisfying twist on the basics. The Georgia native has been recording for nearly 20 years, and on “Down” and “Miss Miss’ippi” she sounds mature, fresh and confident. The stop-time rocker “Traveling and Unraveling” is a variation on the oldest of road narratives, while “Tighten Up the Springs” demonstrates Malone’s mastery of blues convention. She’s got a sense of humor to go along with her sense of history, so that lines like, “I was run out of town / Never going back,” sound totally earned. In short, Malone closes the Bonnie Raitt gap. ( www.michellemalone.com ) 3rd & Lindsley —EDD HURT SUGARFOOT Review - All Music Guide
"The singer has rarely sounded better or more passionate. She's confident without an ounce of pretension and seems as relaxed and self-assured. If this raw, lean and mean CD brings Malone much deserved recognition, she's earned every ounce of it the hard way" - All Music Guide
SUGARFOOT Review - Creative Loafing
Sugarfoot is blues-based rock and roll, raw and rough-honed, a modern-day Exile On Main Street - except that it has exceptional songs." - Creative Loafing
SUGARFOOT Review - Amplifier Magazine
"Malone's gritty, emotive vocals and sinewy arrangements that most emphatically define her. She wails like the devil's on her tail, but she isn't waiting for Satan to catch up before she catches fire" - Amplifier Magazine
SUGARFOOT Review - Bluescritic.com
"Malone's rich vocals blew me away. Bonnie Raitt you better start sweating now. Great range, too. She's bursting with attitude and stomping like a prettier Janis Joplin (sorry Janis)... straight up slide guitar rock that'll "drop you to your knees" It's pure ear candy with a shot of Bourbon." - Bluescritic.com
SUGARFOOT Review - Amazon.com
Contemporary Southern rock doesn't get smarter or dirtier than this. Seventeen years into her career this Atlanta singer-songwriter's poetic lyric command, relentless energy, and nasty slide guitar tone make her ninth album riveting from the get-go, when her speedy Delta blues picking kicks up the sexy "Tighten Up the Springs." From there it's a careening joyride, pinballing between the delicate imagery of acoustic guitar-based numbers like "Where Is the Love" and gnarly electric guitar grinds like "Soul Chicken" and "Black Motorcycle Boots." Everything's united by Malone's blues-based musical sensibility and her powerful voice, which soars sweetly on the ballads and grows hair every time she pushes her range to a snarl. Malone also plays harmonica, which she uses to Dylanesque effect on "Down," a protest about the decrepit state of the Union that boasts a spare acoustic guitar/bass/drums arrangement which sounds like the early Sun recordings of Johnny Cash. With such deep roots and talent to match, "Moanin'" Michelle Malone deserves a bigger audience. --Ted Drozdowski
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
Amped, 7.10.05
Michelle Malone rocked the Hummingbird last night. I mean, she totally rocked it. Like any good band/lover, she left us all pining for more after her hour-long set.
Malone's been around for a while. She played the Cherry Blossom Street Party back in the day; she's been on the Lilith Fair tour and has been a substitute Indigo Girl, among other things.
But don't mistake her for a kumbayah folk rocker. Malone is at heart a blueswoman, one with a primal growl for a voice and a mean slide guitar. Her voice has shades of Janis and Melissa.
Her songs reference trains, Mississippi, travelin' and preacher's daughters-- some of the hallmarks of the Delta blues. They reminded me, at times, of Let It Bleed-era Stones and various Led Zeppelin tunes.
She doesn't pattern herself on the "my man done me wrong" style of most female blues artists either, if you catch my drift.
Accompanied only by a drummer (shades of the White Stripes?), Malone ripped through a series of rough-edged blues/rock songs. She occasionally punctuated them with a mean blues harp.
The crowd was a wonderful "only in Macon" mix, with wayward bridesmaids, Malone fans, and people just looking for a good Saturday night packing the Hummingbird to the gills. There was a line out to the street when I was walking up to the door.
One gentleman took it upon himself to do interpretive dances along to Malone's songs, prompting her to "give big ups to the Solid Gold dancer!" Malone's got a sense of humor on her, alright. Let's hope she comes back to Macon soon.-- Maggie Large 7.10.2005 New business offers Boulder Southern comfort
Southern 'Metro Girls' run around for busy Boulderites
The Daily Camera, 6.17.05
Georgia transplants Michelle Malone and Trish Land call Boulder their second home, but they figure the city could use a little Southern hospitality — and some music to match.
So the two old friends from the Atlanta rock scene, now in their 30s, have reunited in Boulder and started a concierge business for people too busy to enjoy the leisurely pace of life in the South.
Under the name Metro Girl, they've been running errands, making deliveries, planning parties and tying up loose ends of hectic lives all over town. Their slogan, "runnin' around for ya," pretty much says it all.
Malone — make that Moanin' Michelle Malone — is a successful musician in her own right, a bluesy singer-songwriter with equal parts sultry soulfulness and Southern grit. Since her 1988 debut, she's recorded nearly a dozen albums, traversed the country on tour, collaborated with the Indigo Girls and been likened to Lucinda Williams and Bonnie Raitt.
Land has lived in Boulder about eight years, working as an event planner and floral designer. While Malone was on tour, playing upwards of 200 shows a year, she would stop to visit her friend and enjoy the comforts of home — such as chocolate and liquor. "When you're on the road all the time and you get to a town where you actually know people, it's a great feeling," Malone says. "I just got through touring behind (2003's Stompin' Ground), and, at the end of the year, I'd kind of had it up to here. I needed a change of scenery; I needed to go get a life. And I thought this would be a great place to do it."
So Malone came to Boulder around Christmas with the idea of taking a year off to regroup and start working on a new record. "I think I'm staying," Malone says. "I think I've moved here. My life has gotten so sweet this year." The idea for Metro Girl grew out of the Southern tradition of taking care of people, Land says. A client in Boulder wanted a Delta blues-themed birthday party, she recalls, so she cooked up a feast of fried catfish and tapped Malone for the music. "Both of our previous jobs are kind of melding under the Metro Girl umbrella," Malone says. Malone continues to play a couple of shows each month, mostly private parties. She performs at Trilogy Wine Bar & Lounge on Saturday in her only public Colorado date this month.
Malone also returns to Atlanta occasionally to work on a new album, a bluesy, slide guitar-driven disc that should be out by early 2006. In the meantime, the two are keeping busy with Metro Girl and getting acquainted with a growing pool of friends in town. "This is the first place I've been besides Georgia that felt like home," Land says. Eric Schmidt, Camera Staff Writer June 17, 2005 - The Daily Camera Michelle Malone
Creative Loafing, 6.15.05
Michelle Malone's had a pretty astounding career; from being discovered by Clive Davis to touring with ZZ Top through a deal with Walter Yetnikoff's ill-fated Velvel to years as a DIY artist. She's been making rugged roots-inflected rock for more than 18 years, and she's ready for a little succor, even if it means giving up a little control.
"I am so ready to give up so much, you have no idea. I'm not ready to compromise my morals, soul or values, but I'm willing to give up control because eventually they just beat it out of you. And I'm fucking tired. Somebody come get me," Malone laughs. "I put out my own records for a while and all that happened was I got exhausted. I still sold a lot of records, but my quality of life dropped from working so hard. Then I went to Amy at Daemon [for 2003's Stompin' Ground] because they're my family and that was great, but now I think I'm ready to step it up another notch."
A lifelong Atlanta resident, she needed a break. Something different. It's the same with music: After several years with a backing band, she's cut back to a more economical guitar/drum duo. And the music she's recording for the new album reflects that return-to-basics aesthetic.
"The new record is very blues-rock and slide guitar-oriented, very raw and basic. It's mostly just guitar and drums, and most of the songs are just rock 'n' roll songs about touring, sex and drinking," she says. "I got tired of trying to write the important song of my life, trying to write a song for radio or the greatest song ever. I just completely regressed - or went full circle - and started writing silly, three-chord rock songs again, and it's the most fun I've had in a long time."
She's talking with several midsize independents while she continues to work on the new album here in Atlanta. Meanwhile, she's enjoying the relief from being serious.
"I've been honest and told people what I've thought for many years," Malone says. "Now I just want to have some fun, and shake my ass for a while. I don't want to think about getting deep or changing the world. I don't want to reinvent the wheel - I just want to roll it."Chris Parker, 6.15.05, Creative Loafing BOOT-STOMPING ROCK
Boise, Idaho Statesman, 8.27.04
Michelle Malone has been touring nonstop for the last few years. She and Drummer linda Bolley are kind of like a southern-fried White Stripes but not married and/or brother/sister (which seems more southern, incidentally).Michelle's best friend is her guitar, which must have been hard for Linda on the road this past year. But it's a relationship that pays off.; the music she makes with her pal is an "angel- meets- the -devil" boot stomping rock. -- 8.27.04, Boise, Idaho Statesman QUOTES "...2003's hands-down best Americana release from a female singer-songwriter." -- HARP Magazine "If the strong songs, crisp guitar work and soulful vocals of Stompin' Ground are any indication, we should start referring to Bonnie Raitt as the poor person's Michelle Malone." -- highbias.com "Somewhere between Lucinda Williams and Shelby Lynne comes Michelle Malone and her new alt-country album Stompin' Ground. Alternating between softer, soulful ballads and rowdy, riffy blasters, these twelve songs are raucous and jubilant. The pedal-steel driven, bottom-heavy and big-chorused "Lafayette" is easily the record's finest. The song boogies with dirty grooves, front-porch harmonies and an irreverent cowgirl attitude." -- RollingStone.com "Malone displays the maturity of a Dylan disciple with her own personal agenda. Blues and roots are fused into her brand of folk rock as she demonstrates both the songwriting talent and the artistic depth to be regarded as a performer in the same vein as commercial and critical successes like Sheryl Crow and Lucinda Williams." -- Boston Phoenix "On this loose and blues-stoked new album, the rough-and-tumble Malone embraces her inner Keith Richards while churning up those Southern roots with the vigor of Lucinda Williams." -- Playboy.com "She shows off her inventive but earthy songwriting and guitar playing as well as her far-ranging vocal talents, which easily turn from growling and gritty to soaring and bittersweet." -- Paste "The album is a honky-tonkin' ride through Southern-rock material, fueled by Malone's guitar prowess and sexual entreaties."-- Time Out New York "this likeable record rolls like great lost '70s singles."-- Blender "chock full of bottleneck blues guitar slides and harmonica wails that
provide the perfect soundtrack to a rowdy late night or a cross country road trip. If this album got any hotter, you'd have to slap a warning label on the thing and call it a hazard." -- 9X "She's heartfelt, fierce, serious, and out to get you." -- Venus "When it comes to playing lean, mean rock 'n' roll, Georgia rocker Michelle Malone not only keeps up with the big boys, she's got the chops to blow them out of the water."-- Performing Songwriter "Her smooth, steady voice is a strong match for her devil-may-care attitude, lending "down to the river" simple storytelling to everything from ballads to rockin' blues. Malone continues to stake her claim as a satisfying Southern-flavored singer-songwriter in the midst of a pop wasteland." -- Out Magazine "4 stars - Call this the singer/songwriter's Harvest or Beggars Banquet, since it revels in rootsy strumming and harder-edged, bluesy rock. It's propelled by Malone's tough and tender style and a dozen great songs you'll want to hear again." -- AMG REVIEWS Playboy Magazine Sept/Oct 2003 (4 of 5 Bunnies) Longtime Atlanta rock singer Michelle Malone -- who fronted the Arista band Drag the River in the early '90s and now records on Amy Ray's Daemon Records -- has always been one of the more roadhouse-friendly singer-songwriters in a town better known for its surplus of genteel folkies. And on this loose and blues-stoked new album, the rough-and-tumble Malone embraces her inner Keith Richards while churning up those Southern roots with the vigor of Lucinda Williams. (The first track is called "Lafayette," even). Slide guitars, banjos and a Hammond organ surround strong and unaffected vocals with fetching bluegrass and soul touches, as Malone rolls through an emotional landscape of Spanish moss and troublesome desire. "Gotta keep on movin'," she sings over the shuffling rhythm of "Preacher's Daughter," "I'm a long way from home." In truth, though, Stompin' Ground makes it easy to hear how she's come satisfyingly full-circle - Steve Dollar
Plan 9 Magazine Sept 2003 "A deep southern pocket with a 50-watt socket" claims the album cover for Michelle Malone's latest Daemon Records release, STOMPIN' GROUND, and this could not be more on the mark. Malone has plugged in this time around and ripped the roof of the Snack N Shack. She's the real deal. STOMPIN' GROUND is chock full of bottleneck blues guitar slides and harmonica wails that provide the perfect soundtrack to a rowdy late night or a cross country road trip. While the album starts off with the sauntering ease of "Lafayette," it isn't long before "2 Horns and 2 Wings" kicks up the dust and stands out as the balls to the wall track of the twelve song disc. Along the same bootstompin' lines are "Cry Me A River" and "Samsonite," both of which showcase the talents of Malone's backing band, The Low Down Georgia Revue. The high octane machine occasionally slows down and allows you to hear why Michelle Malone has been likened to Paul Westerberg and Steve Earle. "True," the album's closing track, fulfills its name - "Take a simple song/ Sing a simple melody/ don't let no one tell you that you can't sing." Bare bones and to the point, the songs on STOMPIN' GROUND are slices of southern culture. The sinners, saints, dirty diners and swingin' door screens all make appearances. Michelle Malone's vocals smolder like hot gravy on a home cooked meal and invoke both Patsy Cline and early Bonnie Raitt. Malone notes, "I've always listened to a lot of different types of music. It changes constantly. When I was a little kid, I was really into Linda Ronstadt, and I was really into Bonnie Raitt, later on Patti Smith, and of course, Tina Turner. All the boy bands I discovered later in life. I love Neil Young." Make no mistake, this Atlanta songsmith is more than a hybrid of voices you've heard before. In fact, she's even made a name for herself via blues legend Albert King who dubbed her "Moanin' Malone" after hearing her sing. These twelve tracks burn white hot, both treating and teasing us with a mere forty five minutes of amazing music. With all of the grit of Lucinda's gravel road and Sheryl Crow's pop sensibility, Michelle Malone proves that she is certainly capable of joining their ranks. Shine your spurs, crack open a cold one, and dig in. If this album got any hotter, you'd have to slap a warning label on the thing and call it a hazard. -Hilary Langford Performing Songwriter, Vol 11 Issue 72, Sept/Oct 2003 When it comes to playing lean, mean rock 'n roll, Georgia rocker Michelle Malone not only keeps up with the big boys, she's got the chops to blow them out of the water. Slippery bottleneck guitar on 'Lafayette' opens the disc, while she sings about the Deep South with the power of an old blues crooner. Backed by her band, the Low Down Georgia Revue, Malone fires off breakneck rockabilly riffs on '2 Horns and 2 Wings,' followed by Hendrix-like soul on 'Moanin' Coat.' Her voice can convey both angelic sweetness and devilish, almost anguished wails, while her trusted Hamer Duotone guitar takes on a personality of its own.
For Fans Of: North Mississippi Allstars, Shake Hands With Shorty
Allman Brothers Band, Hittin' the Note
Sheryl Crow, C'Mon, C'Mon Malone Stakes Out Turf for Stompin' Ground, Access Atlanta, 9.04.03
Ask Michelle Malone why she decided to hold the release party for her new disc, "Stompin' Ground," at the Earl in East Atlanta, and she skips the nitty and gets right down to the gritty.
" 'Cause it's a dirty little rock club, and 'Stompin' Ground' is a dirty little rock record," the longtime Atlanta performer says. "The Earl reminds me of [former local venues] the White Dot or the Point -- the way rock 'n' roll ought to be heard and smelled -- and I haven't rocked this much in years."
Malone grew up in Atlanta and learned to sing and play guitar in church. But in her teens, she says, "the so-called devil's music" seized her soul. She dropped out of high school, ran away, discovered Led Zeppelin and started living the rock life, hanging at those sorts of archetypal '80s dives.
In 1989, Malone's soaring voice and guitar chops caught the ear of Arista Records' Clive Davis, who signed her. But her defiant style didn't quite mesh with the label's diva machine. She eventually started her own indie SBS Records label and managed to release eight records over the past decade.
On "Stompin' Ground," Malone's known as "Moanin' Michelle," a title bestowed upon her by blues guitarist Albert King after a gig at the Royal Peacock. Recorded with a three-piece band dubbed the Low-Down Georgia Revue, it sways with angular slide guitar, honking harmonica and Malone's testifying vocals. But it also holds a couple of softer ballads.
"It's cranked up and stripped down," Malone says. "It's specific to Georgia in that it has all the great Georgia roots influences mixed in there, including acoustic, old-school electric, a little Southern blues and gospel, and a whole lot of rock 'n' roll. -Bob Townsend
The Girl Just Wants to Have Fun, Creative Loafing 9.04.03
Michelle Malone embraces her swamp Stompin' Southern roots
On the topic of her new album Stompin' Ground Michelle Malone says, "I wanted to make a record that I would fucking like to listen to, for a change." She's succeeded, as apparent from the kick-off track. "Lafayette," a gutsy, greasy, slide guitar rocker infused with a Beggar's Banquet groove.
It's not that the singer/guitarist wasn't pleased with the acoustic folk/pop of 2001's well-received, if relatively low-key, Hello Out There, but Malone felt that having an outside producer at the helm failed to capture her essence. "I was tired of taking control of every aspect of my career, so I was happy to hand the production of that album over. I thought [the record] was beautiful, but didn't honestly feel it represented who I am. It's an aspect of my personality but it wasn't a very happy record. I was feeling a little sheepish and just licking my wounds. This one is not so singer/songwriter-ish. It's more of a celebration of feeling comfortable with who I am and where I am in life."
Currently, she's reveling in a friendly and liberating "fuck you" attitude, allowing her to eliminate commercial considerations from her music. "It's not going to get on the radio because radio sucks. Unless you have a million dollars, they won't play you anyway.
With the basic tracks recorded live in the studio, the disc crackles with a swampy, Southern-rock groove, reminiscent of Delaney & Bonnie, the Faces and early-'70s Stones. "In my favorite songs, I can hear mistakes. When you start thinking too much about [production] and overdubbing too much, it takes away from the overall vibe and energy. You start sucking the life out of the sound and lose the human element. That's the problem I have with a lot of modern pop music."
There's plenty of energy coursing through Ground's blood. "Flagpole," the album's most socially charged rocker, was ignited by Malone's frustration with world politics. "That just spilled out. I get to a point where there is so much boiling in my veins about what's going on in the world, and I feel so helpless. I didn't plan to write it, I just couldn't not write it." Even ballads such as "Cypress Inn," "Camera" and "Moanin' Coat" radiate a tense expectation -- like a lion before feeding time.
On her first release for Amy Ray's Daemon label since the Band De Soleil days nearly a decade ago, Malone has relinquished some of her fiercely indie attitude for this album. "The independent thing is hard enough, but when you do everything yourself -- between touring, writing and recording -- there just aren't enough hours in the day to do it all. I don't have the time or inclination to call up radio stations, newspapers or record stores. ... I own this record but have licensed it to Daemon for a few years, which seems like a happy medium. ... I've known Amy since I was 19, so I feel safe there."
Although Malone often tours solo, the tough rocking band -- appropriately and humorously dubbed the Low Down Georgia Revue -- heard on Stompin' Ground frees her from the limiting singer/songwriter niche. "We call it Chattahoochee swamp rock; cranked up and stripped down. The older I've gotten, the more I've been able to embrace my Southern-ness. My whole family is from here and we're just damn Southern," she says, laughing.
Ultimately that realization liberated Malone from satisfying anyone else's preconceptions, enabling her to create the loosest and most straightforward music of her career. "I was able to be honest yet not so damn serious. It's not as introspective and a lot more fun. And I just want to have fun again." -Hal Horowitz
InSite Review, InSite Atlanta Aug 2003
Michelle Malone has been around for years, writing, touring and putting out albums. Her folk-rock sound is powerful and literate, but she's never had much mainstream success. Which is a shame, because she’s the equal of most folks in the Americana movement. Stompin’ Ground should change that.
Backed by her band, the Low-Down Georgia Revue, Malone delivers a dense, swampy record reminiscent of Lucinda Williams’s more energetic work. Things start off with “Lafayette,” which opens with an acoustic lope but quickly kicks in with slide guitar, a vintage John Bonham drum sound, and sexy lyrics like “If I had my way I’d keep your angel wings wrapped down around my thigh.” “2 Horns and 2 Wings” rolls at 80 mph like a trucker’s anthem, telling the tale of a girl who pushes the boundaries of both virtue and sin.
Throughout, Malone’s earthy tracks get some ramshackle momentum going. Her band is inspired, laying down perfect beds for her fierce guitar solos. Even the ballads have crackle. Over the last few years, Malone has really come into her own, but with Stompin' Ground she takes a giant stride in matching songwriting chops and lyrical sharpness with a band that’s truly up to the task.
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